Jewry's Role in
Human Affairs
THEY HELPED DEFINE PHOTOGRAPHY
valuable beyond measure.
Dr. Phil Goldmeier
Southfield
We Must Recall
The Holocaust
After struggling with a response to Jay
R. Shayevitz's disturbing letter regard-
ing the importance of the March of
the Living-Detroit Teen Unit"
Poland/Israel Experience by our chil-
dren ("What Ai,: The March's Bene-
fits?", May 18, page 6), and being a
parent of one of those who had the
good fortune to go and were luc
enough to make the trip, I can now
put my feelings into words.
We just concluded watching Anne
Frank on television. With tears in my
eyes as I write this, I have concluded
that if you do not understand the
importance of why our kids must con-
tinue on the March of the Living,
then I feel sad that you will never
comprehend; you will never "get it."
For us, the word/concept of zachor
[remembrance] is tattooed in our
hearts. I fear that you will never see
what is truly important.
Martin Abrin
Oak Park
Conference Criticism
Appears One-Sided
Thank you for frequently including the
reality columns of Jonathan Rosenblum
and Jonathan Tobin ( " American Jewry's
Indifference," May 18, page 36; "No
Moral Equivalence," May 18, page 37).
They are a credit to your policy of pre-
senting differing points of view.
Frequently pervading the editorials
and many of the opinion pieces, howev-
er, is a statement similar to the one
describing the Conference of Presidents
-of Major American Jewish Organiza-
tions ("Revitalizing The Conference,"
May 18, page 35): ". . . stances on a
number of issues have been those of a
minority of American Jews, relatively
conservative and hawkish individuals
whose backgrounds and views differ
from most of our six million."
The first thing one has to do is to
define "hawkish" and then "conserva-
tive." Once this is precisely done and a
legitimate survey taken, especially in
light of current events, I would venture
to say that the number once considered
hawkish are no longer in the minority.
Another astonishing statement in
that editorial was: "But many Ameri-
can Jews, while deeply committed to
the Israeli state 'How is that mea-
sured?' are weary of thinking about
the endless violence of the Middle
East." Poor dears!
Then there are those Americans who
"doubt that the state is actually in dan-
ger of being overrun and a number har-
bor criticism of Israeli policies that they
see as needlessly oppressive of the Pales-
tinians." I suggest these doubters speak
to the families of those Israelis whose
sons, daughters, husbands and wives
have been bestially slaughtered by Arabs
in the last eight months and who hear
daily Palestinian Authority leader Yasser
Arafat's plan to take over all of "Pales-
tine" while "returning" four-million
"displaced" Arabs!
Jerome S. Kaufman
Bloomfield Hills
Hospice Concept
Deserves Praise
Much more needs to be said about the
perseverance, dedication and vision of
Rabbi E.B. (Bunny) Freedman as he
continues to educate the community
and its leaders about the hospice con-
cept ("Building Compassion," May
11, page 14).
Rabbi Freedman has brought
together the rabbinical community to
provide pastoral care to the patients
and their families as they struggle to
understand the final stages of life and
the importance of end-of-life issues.
The strength of family unity as they
comfort each other and deal with ter-
minal issues is often made easier when
a rabbi can assist hospice caregivers.
Rabbi Freedman has worked hard to
establish the Jewish Hospice and Chap-
laincy Network that provides assistance
to the Jewish community. He has
responded to requests from families
whenever they have called for him and
has never questioned background or
religious boundaries. He has provided
wonderful comfort and calm to situa-
tions that seemed questionable.
What a wonderful opportunity was
offered to rabbis at-large to attend a col-
lege-like program that teaches the rab-
binical community to provide the very
best care to a patient as they approach
the end of life. It is a mitzvah that can
be like no other. We applaud the rabbi
and his ongoing efforts.
Evie and Murray Liberman
Detroit
Milestones in the science and art of photography were achieved by many of Jewish
descent. These include the only physicists ever to win Nobel Prizes for
photography-related breakthroughs: French inventor, Gabriel Lippmann, on the
frontiers of color photography, and Dennis Gabor, the Englishman who
discovered holography.
Jewish cinematographers were drawn early from Hollywood (which they
dominated) to enrich the staff of the newly launched Life which became the
foremost picture magazine of its day. Alfred Stieglitz, husband of famed artist,
Georgia O'Keeffe, established photography as an art form worthy of museum
display--as did Richard Avadon who almost alone raised commercial fashion
photography to aesthetic heights, and has produced awesome gallery portraiture
without peer.
Alfred Eisenstaedt powerfully modeled the style and content of photo
journalism. Robert Capa earned worldwide fame for his prize-winning coverage
of the Spanish Civil War and World War Two. And who has not thrilled to a
classic by Joe Rosenthal, the photo of the U.S. Marine flag raising over Iwo Jima
which is emblematic of our victories in battle? Others share their genius.
As legend has it, Jennifer, the young
daughter of Edwin Land (1909-91), asked
her father why it took so long to produce
pictures after the camera shutter clicked. The
Connecticut born inventor, physicist and
entrepreneur had earlier devised clear
plastic sheets of polarized material for
camera filters and sunglasses. He called the
product "Polaroid," a tradename which was attached years later to the camera that
revolutionized photography.
Long intrigued by his daughter's question, the mostly self-taught scientist
spearheaded the research and development of a new photographic process utilizing
a novel chemistry and film. And in 1947 he introduced the Polaroid Land Camera
that delivered finished black and white prints a minute after exposure. Years later,
his company created instant color film for snapshots and motion pictures. Success
was such, that a survey in the 1960s found nearly half of the nation's camera-
owning households possessing one or more of his products.
Among other of his accomplishments, Land helped launch 3-D motion
pictures, produced numerous military optical devices and collected 544 patents
before retiring in 1982. During the preceding year, he had donated millions to
form the Rowland Institute of Science.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, to a composer and world-
class pianist from Poland, Leopold Godowsky Jr.
(1901-83) also seemed destined for a musical career.
He studied the violin and in later -life performed recitals
with his father before the Rochester Symphony
Orchestra. But Godowsky had since made another
kind of connection with Leopold Mannes (1899-
1964), a distinguished pianist in his own right whose
father founded the renowned Mannes School of Music
in New York City.
In a radical shift of interest the teenage friends with a mutual passion for
photography had decided to seek ways to simplify color photography. A hobby
became a research project. In the 1920s, while still in school, they experimented
with color filters, lenses and a double-layered plate that reproduced a portion of the
spectrum. Eastman Kodak Company purchased the process in 1930 and invited
them to head the photography giant's R&D staff. •
Within six years, Godowsky and Mannes perfected the world's first
practical color system--Kodachrome--and went on to create three-color still and
motion picture film. Before retirement, they also helped launch research on
Kodacolor, Ektacolor and Ektachrome films. Retaining his long alliance with the
world of music, Godowsky met and married the sister of George and Ira Gershwin.
-Saul Stadtmauer
COMMISSION FOR itik, DISSEMINATION OF JEWISH HISTORY
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5/25
2001
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